I’m helping with a six-week class at my church titled, Gifts & Talents Workshop. Designed by a priest and a psychologist, it has been offered for over 30 years in the Southeast to help Christians identify and claim their unique God-given spiritual gifts. Scripture verses lead each lesson with emphasis on 1 Corinthians 12:4-30 and Romans 12:3-8.

I first participated in the class when I joined St. George’s Episcopal Church in 2008 and I was excited to be asked to repeat the lessons as a facilitator this year. I believe that we have seasons where God may ask us to shift our focus, or exercise our gifts in a different way. That sure is true for me as each week I’ve had different answers than I did back in 2008!! Perhaps it is a different season, or a different level of maturity of my Christian faith.

When I was younger, I had nagging doubts that Christ could ever use me. My guilt of sin was overwhelming my response. After I learned that God loved me, I realized we are all called to “spread the good news”, but we all may do it in a different way. The Holy Spirit guides us in identifying our gifts and then how we are to best use them.

Once I was convinced that I had God-created gifts, I had to get over two other hurdles: thinking that my gift was better than someone else’s, or thinking that their gift was better!! Judgment and jealousy are the types of thinking that Satan implants in our head so that we don’t have the confidence to fully live into our Christian faith.

Everyone is God’s child. Everyone has gifts and talents from the Holy Spirit. No gifts, or people, are better or worse than another.

What are your gifts? Are you living into the life that God intended for you?